Vote on Harrisburg school district proposed budget cuts postponed

Harrisburg School Board directors want more time to discuss finances before voting on a series of proposed budget cuts aimed at closing a $15 million deficit next year.

Full-day kindergarten would be reduced to a half day, the alternative education Shimmell School would close and middle-school football, basketball and high-school cross-country and tennis would be eliminated under the proposal.

Directors will discuss the cuts and the district's finances at a Thursday workshop. A preliminary budget must be approved by the end of the month.

Several people spoke out against the cuts at tonight's school board meeting. Dayzhia McCollum, an 11th-grader at Shimmell, said in a letter to Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney that she and many of her classmates are upset about the prospect of their school closing.

Shimmell houses alternative-education classes for
secondary students who have had problems following school rules and
emotional support classes for students with behavioral issues.

The kindergarten program is on the
chopping block because the district has used state accountability block
grants to pay for full-day classes, Knight-Burney said.

Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed state budget proposal would eliminate that funding and would cut about $1 billion in state aid to public schools.

Featured Story

Get 'Today's Front Page' in your inbox

This newsletter is sent every morning at 6 a.m. and includes the morning's top stories, a full list of obituaries, links to comics and puzzles and the most recent news, sports and entertainment headlines.

optionalCheck here if you do not want to receive additional email offers and information.See our privacy policy

Thank you for signing up for 'Today's Front Page'

To view and subscribe to any of our other newsletters, please click here.